Happy (Early) Birthday
by Tina-chan V
Summary: Aoba can't hide anything from Ren. (Day 4 of RenAo Week)


_What would Ren like?_

This was the thought that had been echoing around Aoba's head for days. Only recently had he managed to figure out something that Ren (hopefully) would like. Doing so was a great relief, and Aoba truly thought that the worst was behind him.

It wasn't.

To say the least, Ren was excellent at telling that Aoba was hiding something; almost as good at it as Granny. So the days that lead to their shared birthday were torturous.

There were several times that Aoba wanted to give up on waiting until the 22nd of April, due to feeling downright awful. Ren was the cause of this. Seeing the other man's hurt expression when he refused to tell what he was hiding was just about the worst thing ever. Aoba knew what was going on in Ren's head at that moment. He thought that Aoba didn't trust him enough to tell.

That, of course, was far from the truth, and Ren should certainly know better than to think that. This was what Aoba had told him. Ren seemed unconvinced, but didn't press the matter.

Still, Aoba couldn't stand the time that followed; like now, for instance.

"Aoba, whatever it is that you feel the need to hide, I will not judge you for. You do know that, right?" Ren was saying. This was the umpteenth time that the subject was mentioned. It also happened to be the night of the 21st.

Aoba felt the will to endure crumble and blow away at those words. He was done.

"That's it, I can't do this! You win, Ren, you win!" he exclaimed.

Ren appeared visibly confused, "What do you mean, Aoba?"

"I mean I can't deal with you like this, so you win," the blue-haired man answered, now rifling through his duffel bag. It was in there somewhere.

"Aoba, I do not fully comprehend what you-"

"Found it!" Aoba announced, holing up a pitifully-wrapped present. He then held it out towards Ren, "Here."

The other man looked at the gift with a surprised expression, but took hold of it with a moment's hesitation. He just stared at it, as if unsure what to do next.

"Open it," Aoba instructed, "It won't bite, trust me."

Carefully and slowly, Ren unwrapped the object, placing the paper in a nearby trash bin. Once done, he held a dark-blue picture-frame in his hands. It was decently small, being a 5x5, and fit in his hold perfectly.

Aoba watched his reaction, hoping for the best. To his great disappointment, Ren did not appear as he imagined. The former-AllMate seemed more confused than happy.

"Aoba, why would you need to hide this?" he asked after an agonizing silence.

"Because it's a birthday present!" Aoba exclaimed incredulously.

"Birthday present..?"

"Yeah, you know, because tomorrow is our birthday after all. I wanted to wait until then to give it to you," Aoba explained. He motioned to the frame.

Suddenly, Ren gasped and looked distressed.

"What's wrong, Ren? You don't like it?"

"No, Aoba, I like it very much. But…I've forgotten about how close that date is. I'm afraid that I have nothing to give you in return," Ren admitted. If he still had his ears, they'd by pinned to his head, and his tail would be tucked away between his legs.

"Ren, it's okay. I don't need anything," Aoba said with a reassuring smile.

Still, Ren seemed guilty, "But you did this."

"It's more for both of us, you know. Besides, I think you've done enough for me to make up for twenty birthdays," the blue-haired man said.

At the look of confusion given in response, he followed with, "From when you were a part of me, protecting me from Desire; to now, here with me. You've done more than I could ever ask of you. Thank you, as always."

Ren blushed slightly in embarrassment, but the guilt seemed to have washed away. He sat up straighter, with a smile on his lips.

"The pleasure is mine," he replied.

Aoba, feeling the need to do so, leaned forward and embraced his lover. Barely a moment later, he felt arms wrap around him in response. They stayed like that for a minute or two, before Aoba pulled slightly away, and rested his forehead against Ren's. Thank God they were sitting down, or he would likely not have been able to do so, thanks to the height-difference.

"Aoba."

"Yes?"

"Happy Birthday."

They pulled apart, and Ren motioned towards the clock on the nightstand. It read 12:00 AM. In other words, it was officially April 22nd.

A full smile broke out on Aoba's face and he turned his head back towards Ren, "Happy Birthday to you, too, Ren."

Right beside the clock, Ren had somehow managed to set the picture-frame down beside it when Aoba wasn't paying attention. In it was an image of him and Ren from the very day that the latter was discharged from the hospital. Aoba's arms were thrown around Ren, and though he couldn't return the gesture, the other man had a joyful glint in his eyes.


End file.
